


Sandals and Tequila

by Toni1



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, I will add more tags as the story progresses, M/M, Mexico, season 7
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22938550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toni1/pseuds/Toni1
Summary: "This isn't me anymore", said no one ever.Ian crosses the border with Mickey. The two of them start a new life in Mexico.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 5
Kudos: 29





	Sandals and Tequila

The fifteenth time Ian's phone rang, Mickey had had enough.

”Jesus fucking Christ, Ian, just answer it!”

Ian took a look at the caller ID and sighed. Lip, again.

”I don't know what to tell them.”  
”Here's a wild thought: how 'bout the truth?” Mickey asked and drummed the steering wheel with his fingers. ”The longer you ignore them, the more worried they'll be.”  
”Yeah...”

Ian turned his head up and stared straight out of the car window. The sun was beginning to set and the sky was getting an orange tint. They had googled the nearest motels a little while ago and had settled for a one star inn that was still an hour's drive away. Ian wondered how fast it would get dark here. He hoped they would be able to spot the place. The reviews of the place had been horrible and exactly what they needed right then. A shitty motel that rarely any Americans used, where the owner never asked questions and the rooms were filled with cockroaches and rented by the hour. They would reach the beach eventually, but not yet. Better stay away from tourist hotspots for a little while.

The phone was still ringing, Lip was relentless. Mickey's eyebrows kept going further up.

”Do you want me to talk to them?” he asked, trying to sound somewhat patient.  
”No”, Ian answered.

He had already sent a text to Trevor. That had been the easy part. _”I left. I'm sorry. I wish you all the best.”_ After the text Trevor had tried to call him twice, he hadn't answered, and eventually had gotten a text back. _”Ok.”_ And that had been it. It didn't feel good to leave Trevor like that, but in all honesty, it didn't feel too horrible either.

But he knew dealing with his family wouldn't be as easy for him. He had no idea how he would explain this to them.

”Oh for fuck's-” Mickey sighed, grabbed the phone out of Ian's hands, pushed the answer button and put the phone on speaker.

”Ian? Ian, you there?” Lip's voice asked in otherwise silent car. Ian glared at Mickey, who shot him a serious look in return, before concentrating on the road ahead of them again.

”Yeah”, Ian told his brother shortly.  
”Where the fuck have you been the last couple of days? We were getting worried something had happened to you. Did you not get our texts?”  
”I got them, I've just been... Busy”, Ian said and could feel Mickey's eyeroll.  
”Okay, then when are you getting home? Something's happened and I'd rather tell it to you face-to-face.”

Ian was biting his lip and forced the words out of his mouth:  
”Yeah, about that, I'm, uh... I'm not coming home.”  
”What, you staying at Trevor's?”

It would be easy to say yes and buy a few more days before having to tell the truth. But Mickey turned his head and looked at him for a brief moment, how 'bout the truth? and Ian let go of his lip, took a deep breath and dived in the ice water.

”No, I... I left. With Mickey.”

They passed a colourful road sign that Ian assumed welcomed them into a new state or town. No one said anything for a while and Ian started to think the call had been disconnected before he heard his brother's voice again.

”Holy shit”, was Lip's comment.  
”Yeah”, Ian agreed.  
”I mean, I'm not really surprised, I just... I don't know what to say to that.”  
”Makes two of us”, Ian said and let out a small laugh.  
”Congrats, I guess?”  
”Congrats on what?” Ian faintly heard Fiona ask in the background.  
”Yo, hold up, I gotta update everyone on this shit”, Lip told him, and next Ian got to listen to his siblings have a conversation.

”So, Ian's not coming home. He left with Mickey.”  
”Wait, what? He left with Mickey fucking Milkovich? Are you for real?” asked Fiona, with astonishment and fury in her voice.  
”Left where? They left the country?” asked Debbie, with pure bewilderedness.  
”I assume so.”  
”Wow, that's... Kinda really romantic”, continued Debbie.  
”No, fucking insane is what that is!” Fiona, again. ”Put him on speaker, I wanna talk to him.”

Lip apparently did, because Fiona's voice got a lot clearer.

”Ian, where are you?”  
”I can't really say”, Ian answered apologetically. ”Sorry. But I promise I'll let you guys know once we settle down somewhere.”  
”You know you can still turn around and come back home, right? It's not too late.”  
”I've made my decision, Fiona.”  
”Have you been taking your meds?”

Ian let out a humourless laugh. He had been expecting that.

”Yes, I have.”  
”Have you considered that maybe they've gotten out of balance?”  
”They haven't. They're working just fine. I'm working just fine.”  
”It's just that that doesn't really seem like rational behaviour.”  
”Some things aren't rational, and I can behave irrationally without being manic. You know, like all people do sometimes.”  
”Can we go back to Debbie who thinks this is romantic? Please?” Mickey chimed in. Ian shot him a thankful smile, he really didn't feel like arguing about his mental health with Fiona right then.  
”Do you feel good about yourself, Mickey? Taking him away from his family?” Fiona asked angrily. Mickey raised his brows, in his full attack mode, but Ian spoke before he did:  
”He didn't fucking kidnap me, Fiona”, he told his sister with a stern voice. ”It was my own decision, and it was a decision I made based on how much I love him, not based on my craziness.”

Another silence fell around them. Someone sighed on the other end of the line and Ian wasn't sure who it was, but guessed either Fiona or Lip.  
”Pass me a smoke”, Mickey muttered when no one said anything. Ian grabbed the pack of smokes from the dashboard, lit up one, and placed it between his lover's lips. Mickey hummed lowly.

”Just... Take care of yourself, Ian, okay? Call us, whenever you need it. And you're always welcome to come back home. Shit, this is stupid as fuck what you did, but it's not like I can teleport myself there and drag you back home by the ear. You know I would if I could”, Fiona said, in a much more defeated voice that Ian was happy to hear.  
”I know. I'm sorry I left without saying anything, but I had to. I'll keep in touch, this isn't a goodbye. I'm alright, I promise you.”  
”Okay”, Fiona sighed.  
”Good. Now, what was the thing you guys wanted to tell me?”

The only answer he got for a good while was silence, once again.

”Guys?” he prompted. ”What is it?”  
”Ah, shit, Ian”, Lip said eventually. ”It's-”  
”I sold the laundromat”, Fiona cut Lip off. Ian frowned. That was the big thing that he should be told face-to-face?  
”Okay. Um... How come?” he asked, feeling puzzled.  
”Too many expenses. Too little profit. Got 10 000 from it, though of course I have to pay the loan back, but... You know.”  
”Okay. Well, cool. I'm sure something else will pop up.”  
”Yeah, I hope so.”

Another awkward pause followed. Mickey shot Ian a face and a hand gesture that said purely 'What the fuck?' Ian answered by shrugging.

”Okay. So, if that was all...”  
”Yeah, it was. Look, keep in touch, okay? And take care.”  
”Of course. You too. I love you guys.”

”We love you too, Ian!” all of them answered before the call was ended.

”So that was weird as fuck. This laundromat a big deal?” Mickey asked.  
”Not really. I mean, for Fiona sure, but not for me. Don't know what the fuck that was about”, Ian admitted and lit up a smoke for himself. ”Feels like they're not telling me something.”  
”Well no shit”, Mickey said and snorted. ”Nothing you can do about it though.”  
”Yeah.”

Ian looked out of the car window, falling deep into his thoughts. The sun was almost all the way down now and the air was that weird tint of blue and grey that made all the lights shine even brighter but also calmer. Ian had seen a million twilights in Chicago, but here, in the middle of nowhere, just a rural Mexican road, it seemed so different. There were no neon lights shining here, no lights coming from a thousand windows all around, just the set sun and their headlights hitting the road and the dry yellow ground around them. But the blue tint in the air stayed the same, thankfully.

”You having second thoughts?” Mickey suddenly asked. Ian looked at him in the dim light and could hear the worry in his voice. Mickey was staring straight ahead, trying to keep his face emotionless, but Ian saw the way his lips were slightly more pushed together than they usually were, the slight frown, the glassiness in his eyes.

”No”, Ian said and kept his eyes on Mickey. ”I know it's going to be tough, us starting a new life here, there's no denying that. I'm gonna miss my family a lot. And moving to a strange country wasn't probably the smartest thing to do with my condition and all, I don't even speak Spanish, but... Nothing's ever made me as excited about life as you, Mick. I would be an idiot to throw that away again.”

The frown disappeared from between Mickey's brows, he blinked a few times and his mouth turned into one of those smiles that he tried to hide but couldn't.

”Good”, he simply said.  
”Good”, Ian agreed and smiled too. He felt the excitement bubbling in his stomach. He turned on the car radio, searched for a channel a little while before he was greeted with a funky Latin beat that made him tap his foot in time with the rhythm.

**Author's Note:**

> I just want to say that I love the canon right now: Mickey and Ian being married is the best thing that has ever happened in my life. But this story has been in my head for a while now, I can't help but wonder how their life would have turned out if they had gone to Mexico together, and thus I'm writing this.
> 
> Also, this is my first multichap fic and as a oneshot writer this is such a big challenge for me, but I will do my best to update this regularly. And I know this first chapter was quite short, I plan on writing at least slightly longer chaps in the future. :)
> 
> Feedback, comments and kudos will be greatly appreciated! <3


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